


though this be madness, yet there is method in it

by delurks



Series: beyond the borderlands [5]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Alternate Universe, Borderlandscast, Gen, Guns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-16 11:28:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4623687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delurks/pseuds/delurks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>aside from the vaults, one of the lesser known problems of living on pandora consists of 'becoming obsessed with finding a legendary’. in xephos’ case, it’s only the beginning of a long, hellish descent into an obsession centering on a legendary shield called 'the bee’. </p>
<p>xephos is going to hunt down that shield or die trying. the shield and everybody else on pandora have other ideas. contains morally questionable deeds, a heavy and gratuitous dose of violence as well as a glimpse into how honeydew and xephos arrived on pandora.</p>
            </blockquote>





	though this be madness, yet there is method in it

**Author's Note:**

> this is the second 'beyond the borderlands' fic. it centers on xephos and honeydew, mostly on xephos' growing obsession with 'the bee'. 
> 
> i had fun writing this. this is probably one of the most ridiculous things i've written for this au. in this fic, xephos does a fair amount of morally questionable deeds (starting fires, threatening civilians, grave-robbing) because sometimes, we do things that we ultimately regret when we become obsessed with something. this is an attempt on my part to explore that.
> 
> also, because you all know the jaffa factory incident with the bees and i wanted to reference that in this au somehow. GOOD TIMES. plus, there's violence in this fic and not the kind i usually write, particularly when xephos enters his first (and only) duel. the duel is very bloody and very violent (as befitting of most duels involving vault hunters). 
> 
> there is also one very suggestive dream xephos ends up having.
> 
> have fun reading!

With a shudder rocking the entire shuttle's frame, the shuttle disengages from the airlock to pull out from the docking bay, now adrift with purpose. Another shudder and the shuttle departs Elpis, a gentle rumble of the engines nudging it towards Pandora. 

Xephos sidles closer to the tiny rounded, fingerprint smudged window, hunching down in their cramped shuttle seat, rubbing their arms to try to stay warm in the too cool cabin. The view does nothing to ease the ache in their heart at having to leave like this, but it's for the best (certainly not theirs).

They're headed to the last stop of the line.

Bounty hunters had second thoughts about arriving on Pandora since it added far too many variables to their careful plans to capture a quarry alive. For that reason, Xephos had emptied out one of their nest eggs (one of the few left, the rest dwindling to a handful) to buy the earliest shuttle tickets possible to take themself and Honeydew to Pandora. The blonde bartender had been kind enough to point them in the right direction from Concordia to the nearest spaceport.

It hadn't been cheap, but now that they're both on the shuttle in one piece, Xephos can afford to relax for the hour or so long flight down to Pandora. There's nobody else aboard the shuttle (and that tells them how reluctant people are to leave the moon for the planet).

Their pilot is a man with a monocle over his mechanical eye, his remaining eye bright despite his stern expression. Xephos would have mistook him for being as part of the Dahl military due to his immaculate (albeit patchy in some places) clothing if it hadn't been for the lack of other soldiers accompanying him. The pilot is currently humming along to whatever is on the radio while keeping the shuttle as steady as possible.

Xephos spares a glance at Honeydew. Honeydew is fast asleep in the seat next to him, his head resting against one of Xephos' shoulders, his hat askew on top of his head. His mouth is slightly open, a trickle of drool escaping to dribble down into his beard. A few soft snores escape him every now and again.

It occurs to Xephos that Honeydew is just as tired as they are, but had been determined to march on despite everything that's happening to them, never quite wanting to give up or hand over what had cost them their company.

Xephos is beyond being angry at him.

They're just exhausted, sick to death of being chased. As Honeydew had pointed out, perhaps they could start anew on Pandora without being harassed wherever they go. Xephos has long since given up on asking Honeydew to hand over the shovel that had cost them their company, the arguments subsiding into a weary acceptance that Honeydew is never going to change his mind. 

The engines have stopped rumbling, quieting into a humming that reminds Xephos of machinery, the sound reassuring and familiar. Xephos doesn't have anything like that anymore. A lump in their throat is swallowed; they are not going to cry themself to sleep again, not while there's a stranger nearby.

Having successfully staved off another soul-crushing bout of tears, Xephos drifts off into sleep before they know it, their head resting back against the seat. The bags under their eyes beginning to build up again and they haven't been through this much lack of sleep since university days. It makes them look deranged and on edge whenever they consult a mirror. Xephos certainly feels like it.

They jerk awake when the shuttle abruptly shudders, their pilot leaning over to the microphone to calmly announce their arrival on Pandora. The view outside the window starts to blur into a blue sky and clouds, giant landforms beginning to appear instead of space, stars and distant galaxies.

"Sup guys, this is your pilot speaking, please gather your belongings since we're about to make a landing on Pandora..." The rest of his words are lost as Honeydew twitches, mumbling as he smacks his lips, blindingly blearily as he wakes, pulling Xephos' attention to him instead.

"Urgh, did I drool on myself?" Honeydew mutters in disgust, wiping the drool off his chin with the back of his hand. He looks at Xephos, the same hand straightening up his hat. "Where are we?"

"We're about to arrive on Pandora," Xephos reports, rubbing their eyes and yawning. For once, they actually feel well-refreshed. They would have liked to get some more sleep, but as per the pilot's announcement, they need to be awake for the landing, not quite wanting Honeydew to have to bridal carry them out (once is enough and the second time is just _shameful_ ).

"How are you feeling, friend?" Honeydew asks, giving Xephos a intense, searching look. Xephos blinks, not having expected that at all. 

"Better," Xephos admits. "The sleep actually did me some good. I don't feel like I'm struggling to stay awake, at least," Xephos adds before trailing off, not sure what Honeydew wants them to say for Honeydew to appear satisfied.

Xephos makes an attempt to shake off the rest of the sleepiness, wishing that they had coffee to help. That's another thing they miss while being on the run: a decent cup of coffee made just the way they like it. Honeydew lets out a 'hm', before leaning over the side of his seat to collect a dusty, well-worn backpack from under his seat and letting it rest on his lap. 

"I hope you're ready for Pandora." He gives Xephos a toothy, excited smile, practically bouncing in his seat due to excitement. Xephos wishes they could share the sentiment, only giving a nod to acknowledge Honeydew's excitement. 

Honeydew leans over them to peer out the window, letting out a gasp as they start descending through clouds, the shuttle beginning to shudder more, the engines beginning to whir and hum more intensely.

Xephos runs a hand through their hand, fingers combing his hair back into some sort of order instead of letting it stick up this way and that. They check that they have everything (Honeydew insisting on separating his things into a backpack rather than using their digistruct modules). 

Xephos may not be ready for this, but they have to appear as such, for Honeydew's sake. 

After bidding their pilot a goodbye (Honeydew expressing many thanks for the gentle landing that had been fairly rocky in Xephos' opinion), they're on a bus speeding out of the town. 

Xephos hadn't caught the name of the town they'd landed in, far too busy coughing and squeezing their eyes shut against the amount of dust and sand hitting them full in the face, thanks to the wind that's kicked up.

Honeydew had laughed and taken them by the hand to lead them to the bus depot to buy tickets (another nest egg _gone_ , Honeydew having spent all of his on the diamond shovel that's the cause of all their troubles).

Where to next, Xephos doesn't know, Honeydew having bought the tickets since Xephos is too busy choking and tearing up.

Xephos takes the chance during the bus ride to continue catching up on sleep. Honeydew is far too excited, having stolen the window seat this time, peering out between the metal shutters welded against the windows. 

They're in an armored bus, 'how about that,' Honeydew had whispered, apparently impressed while it adds to Xephos' doubts about Pandora being 'safe' already.

Their driver had promised to wake them when they reach their destination (wherever that is), so Xephos doesn't have to worry much about missing their stop. Besides, they trust Honeydew will wake them as well when they get there.

\--

Oasis is a small town in the middle of a giant desert. So this is their final stop. They stop off the bus and into an inferno. The bus speeds off the moment the two have stepped out.

The heat is upon them, any coolness from the inside of the bus completely smothered by it. Xephos draws in one hot breath, already shedding their coat and letting it hang off of their arm. Honeydew just fans his face with his hat, his skin already turning a bright pink under the brilliant, unyielding sunlight. 

It should be illegal for a planet to possess such an inferno on its surface and any person in the right mind wouldn't willingly stand in this heat for hours on end; this hell is not what Xephos had signed up for and it definitely hadn't been in the planet's description.

Xephos desperately makes for the first bit of shade that's nearest as sweat is beginning to soak their shirt, head and back.

They burst into a building marked 'HOTEL' where the air is so cool that Xephos lets out a sigh of relief, letting it chase away the sweat. Honeydew bursts in through the door after them, letting out his own sigh of relief. The two are reduced to stand there, simply basking in the coolness of the room. The door automatically swings shut behind them, sealing in the air.

If this is pure bliss, Xephos thinks, unable to stop a ridiculous, content smile from appearing on their face, they don't ever want to _leave_. Xephos closes his eyes, only to open them again when an amused voice in front of him speaks up.

"Welcome to Oasis, how can I help you this fine summer day?" There is a man wearing a red shirt with little fishes printed on it. He's peering over his glasses at them, looking extremely amused at the two strangers standing in his hotel's lobby in a blissful stupor over the air conditioning.

Xephos' cheeks start to color with embarrassment at having stood there without noticing him. Honeydew is blinking. He snaps out of his stupor to stump over to the desk (his head barely coming up over the top of it). The man raises a bushy eyebrow at him and the slight frown on Honeydew's face.

"You got any water?" Honeydew demands. 

Xephos dies a little inside at Honeydew's bluntness, already rushing over with an apology on his lips but the man gives an understanding grin. He steps out from behind the counter and through a doorway to the side. He comes back bearing two large glasses of water in each hand, handing it to them. It's the most beautiful sight Xephos has ever seen (next to the eye implants Xephos has, of course).

Honeydew and Xephos take the glasses without hesitation, both offering grateful thanks. Xephos handles the glass like it's something precious, lifting it to their dry, cracked lips.

The first sip is without a doubt, the most refreshing. It is the best tasting water Xephos has ever had in their entire life (that one time in university where they lived nothing but caffeine for a solid week paling in comparison). Xephos sips the water slowly, not wanting to waste it by downing it too fast and losing any of it by spluttering if it goes down the wrong way.

In contrast, Honeydew downs his instantly without choking. 

"That's much better," He sighs, the very image of bliss. He hands the glass back. The man generously gives him a refill that Honeydew puts away instantly as well. Xephos is willing to take their time with the water, not wanting to seem greedy (while Honeydew has no such compunctions stopping him).

"I'm just glad you two didn't decide to jump into the pool first," The man observes, still looking very much amused.

He's a skinny thing, Xephos notes, but seemingly more at ease in the heat than the two of them will ever be to be striding around with nothing more than a bit of sunscreen smeared on his nose for sun protection. 

He's somehow on the cusp of tanning, but is still stubbornly pale. In comparison, much to Xephos' dismay, their skin is already browning, a sure sign that they're already tanning despite not even having stood outside for twenty minutes. It's something else Xephos will have to contend with, they realize. 

They finish their glass of water at last, handing it over. The man takes it, putting it on the lobby's desk for the time being. Xephos would like more but doesn't want to ask.

"You have a pool?" Honeydew is already looking interested. 

"It's out back," The man says, his grin not budging. "It'll run you a hundred thousand dollars and you're free to use for the remainder of the day."

"A hundred thousand?!" Honeydew gapes at him. Xephos reaches out to grab Honeydew by the back holster, bodily dragging Honeydew away before Honeydew can toss money at the man. The lobby is small so they can't drag Honeydew all that far away without having to step outside into the inferno again but Xephos can make do. Xephos leans down.

"I am not shelling out a hundred thousand dollars to use the pool, Honeydew," Xephos whispers.

Honeydew gives him an incredulous look, whispering back, "It's a pool. How can you say no?"

"No," Xephos says, forgetting to keep their volume to a whisper. The man running the hotel pretends not to have heard them, having stepped behind the counter to busy himself with a magazine. Honeydew frowns but doesn't argue further despite looking like he wants to. 

"Fine, but we're staying here for the night to wait for the heat to die down before we head off." That, Xephos can't argue with. Xephos straightens up, moving to the lobby's desk.

"How much for a room, one night?" Xephos asks. The man puts aside his magazine, rattling off a quote that is somewhat less ridiculous than the one for the pool. 

Xephos pays him, another nest egg already gone. Honeydew ends up standing beside him, already sulking. Xephos bites the inside of their cheek as to not say anything that might start an argument despite very much wanting to lecture Honeydew on having to save money since they don't know how they'll make it while on Pandora.

The man steps out from behind the desk to lead them upstairs after handing them their room key.

"I'm Nilesy. Please let me know if you'd like room service by ECHOing me. Do check out the rest of the town, especially the general goods and the weapon vending machine..."

"Weapons?" Honeydew perks up out of his sulk. "You sell guns here?" There is an undertone of violent desire in his voice that Xephos doesn't not like the sound of.

"Of course! Why wouldn't we?" Nilesy cheerfully says. "Now, if you find your room woefully inadequate in terms of cat pictures, please don't hesitate to let me know so I can fix that immediately."

"We will-" Xephos stops speaking when they enter the room because Nilesy had not been kidding about the amount of cat pictures in it. "Thank you," Xephos finishes, stunned.

Honeydew just lets out a high-pitched noise, darting over to the nearest picture to coo over it. Xephos wishes Nilesy hadn't mentioned the weapons store but vaguely hopes that the cat pictures will distract Honeydew long enough for him to forget. Nilesy leaves them to it, his footsteps fading as he goes back down the stairs.

"We need guns," Honeydew says once his initial excitement over cats has worn off. 

Xephos inwardly groans, a headache on the brink of fully forming.

In the end though, Xephos ends up buying a Hyperion pistol, a shield and a grenade mod, feeling satisfied with his purchases in that he has something to defend himself with. Honeydew on the other hand, buys several guns (two of the cheapest rifles, Vladof brand) and a rocket launcher on top of a shield and a grenade mod. 

Xephos doesn't try to dissuade Honeydew since Honeydew had carefully scrolled through the specs and made his choices wisely instead of buying every single gun. Besides, when Xephos recalls the armored bus they'd arrived on earlier, perhaps having guns would be a valid option to fall back on (even if Xephos hasn't used guns in years).

\--

Xephos stumbles across rumors of The Bee by accident.

He'd been searching lockers for ammo when an old Hyperion weapons catalog had fallen out of one he's poking through. The pages are yellowing, the spine barely holding together and it smells dusty as if nobody's perused it in months, let alone years. 

Out of boredom, Xephos thumbs through the pages, taking care not to damage the pages any further with a careless flick of his thumb. Almost all the weapons are out of production. It just tips Xephos off as to how old the catalog really is. That is, until Xephos reaches the shields. Only one sticks out when their eyes inadvertently drift to the next shield before snapping back to it.

The Bee.

'Float like a butterfly...' reads the slogan attached to it. Limited edition! Only 500 produced, get your order in today! 

Xephos makes out from the tiny print underneath that it's an amplify shield. 

More to satisfy their curiosity, Xephos clears a space on the table and sits down, not caring if dust sticks to their coat and pants. They run an ECHOnet search on the shield's status and comes up with nothing but rumors of its true abilities (and how Hyperion had culled its production entirely due to the shield's unusual attributes). Xephos spends half an hour investigating, reading threads, looking up posts, following link after link after link until their head is aching from having stared at the ECHOnet for so long. 

With a tired sigh, Xephos shuts off the screen, rubbing their sore eyes. The catalog is still sitting in their lap.

Xephos scoffs before tearing the page out of the catalog and tossing the remaining pages back into the locker with a flurry of fluttering paper. The slightly crumpled page in his hands is folded up and tucked into Xephos' digistruct module next to J.A.F.F.A. (previously Honeydew Inc.) papers and shares. Themself and Honeydew have better things to do than chase after a legendary shield that probably doesn't exist anymore.

While Honeydew is driving the light runner, Xephos maximizes their HUD and brings up the Hyperion's weapons and shields database. With a subtle flick of their right wrist, Xephos spawns a holographic keyboard and starts typing, muttering instructions under their breath to themself as they start muscling through the security on the Hyperion weapons database. 

Apparently, out of the 500 or so shields produced, only five still exist since their destruction was never verified. It just confirms Xephos' suspicions because they had run a fine-toothed comb through the lies, the shams and the rumors floating about on distant threads on the ECHOnet earlier. 

Out of the five left, only three are known to exist on Pandora. 

There could be more than the three because The Bee's production had warranted a second batch being produced that had become scattered shortly after Hyperion had learned of its true capabilities. Xephos thinks it might have something to do with the shield being too powerful, thus dragging down the value of their other, more shittier shield types. 

Smart of them to do so in the first place to spare the rest of their stock from plummeting into oblivion, they think.

Xephos debates the merits of heading out on a wild goose chase considering Honeydew's already dragging them into one of his quest to track down the Vaults. They don't know they've already taken the first few steps into obsession that's already beginning to take root in their mind.

\--

Rumors of a lost catchment of shields possibly containing the Bee in the petrified forest draws Xephos to the location like a firefly to a beacon lit from afar (a more disgusting analogy involving moth reproduction and hormones but they put that right out of their mind as to not get sidetracked).

In theory, Xephos had only intended to burn down a small segment of the forest to expose the fireproof container with the shields inside, considering how overgrown the area had become. 

In practice, well. 

Perhaps Pandora's forests are just a tinier bit more flammable than on other worlds, because the fire had taken to the rest of the canopy faster than Xephos can put out and shit, Xephos is running, running, running, almost tripping over their own feet as they sprint to the safety of the bridge above the river separating the forest from the rest of the mainland. 

Honeydew starts up the light runner, coasting it along at a speed Xephos can easily catch up to, fear driving Xephos to the edge of the physical limits of their body. 

Honeydew only pauses to let Xephos get at least one leg in the turret before fully gunning the engines, the light runner lurching forward at breakneck speed as the boost kicks in. Xephos catches hold of the rail keeping the turret attached, squeezing their eyes (watery from the smoke) and coughs as they steady themself on the seat to tuck both their legs into the light runner. 

Xephos is fervently praying that Honeydew can get them across the bridge before it catches on fire. 

Once they're a safe distance away for Honeydew to slow and stop the light runner, Xephos climbs out to watch the rest of the spectacle unfold. Their legs almost buckle out from under them, their thigh muscles burning and itching from having run for so long. 

Xephos makes it to a flat rock overlooking the burning forest, collapsing onto the rock, mind whirling with thoughts about having narrowly missing a horrible and painful death.

Xephos' eyes follow the smoke columns spiral high into the sky, causing rakks to take to the sky, their screeches loud and echoing for miles. The bandits in their encampment are throwing up cries of alarm and panicking shouts as the rest struggle to rouse themselves awake from their siesta to put out the fires drawing near. 

The fire soon swallows their camp whole, belching out more smoke. Trees are swallowed whole, crashing down and spreading the fire with their death.

Honeydew saunters over from where the light runner is parked, raising an eyebrow at the fires slowly devouring the forest across the river. Two small figures (one red haired and the other a green shadow) appear on the bank below them to access the Fast Travel Station, soon vanishing after one another in a flash of light and pixels. Guilt twists in Xephos' stomach.

The distant light from the fires throws orange and yellow light onto the two of them, casting heavy shadows over both their faces.

"Well, you've really done it this time, Xephos," Honeydew casually observes. 

"I didn't mean to! It just happened." Xephos swallows. It's a half-lie, because they really hadn't intended to do so but on the other hand, the container will definitely be exposed. "Well, we've done Pandora a favor in getting rid of a bandit camp." Xephos wrings their hands, catching sight of their face in the metal of the digistruct modules around their wrist. 

The face reflected back at them is covered in dirt, sweat, soot and has a hollow gaze.

\--

Xephos picks their way through the burned husk of a forest, blackened twigs snapping and charred undergrowth crackling under their ash stained boots. A burnt smell pervades and Xephos sweeps the idea of pulling on the Oz kit out of their mind since it's not worth the effort of searching their inventory for it (the consequences of smoke inhalation be damned).

After five minutes of searching the area they'd carefully marked on their map, Xephos unearths the loot crate. They crouch next to the container (still intact and the paint job coming off in places where the fire had brushed by it). Xephos digistructs a crowbar to crack it open while Honeydew keeps watch for anything that might still be alive even after the blaze had run its course.

The container holds nothing but white quality shields. 

Xephos lets out a wail of frustration, causing Honeydew to start and run over to see what's the matter. Upon seeing Xephos' distress, Honeydew just sympathetically pats them on the back before scooping all the shields up into their inventory to sell them later (once Xephos has stormed off back to the light runner to mull over on their other options). 

They are going to find that _fucking_ shield, even if they have to shoot someone.

\--

Xephos didn't quite catch the bartender's name since Honeydew had been doing most of the talking. Honeydew had been just a little too punch drunk at the time with his own words (and from putting away a mug of very strong, delightfully tasting moonshine). Somehow, Honeydew had let slip that they're homeless (at this point, Xephos doesn't really care if the bartender knows and ends up judging them).

The bartender had been kind enough to temporarily lend them a guest room in the building next door since nobody else in town are using the rooms and that they don't seem like 'the kind to stab him'. The past Xephos would have been horrified but now, Xephos sort of can tell where he's coming from.

Not surprisingly, Honeydew immediately passes out on bottom most bunk bed. Xephos blinks and stares at Honeydew's unmoving form, stunned and a little lost for words at the sheer audacity of Honeydew taking the bottom bunk without consulting them. Honeydew hadn't even taken his boots off. Xephos makes sure that Honeydew isn't going to fall out of the bed by shoving him to the middle (and taking off Honeydew's hat to set it aside on the bed).

Honeydew just grunts and swats at Xephos before rolling over.

After a moment, Xephos sheds their coat and takes off their boots, shoving it all inside their inventory for the time being before climbing onto the topmost bunk using the metal bars of the bunk bed as a makeshift ladder. The bunk bed frame creaks but holds. Xephos resists the impulse to giggle from feeling like they're a child again and blames the alcohol for such thoughts in the first place.

Much to Xephos' annoyance, it takes some degree of careful coordination as to not to bang their head or arms on the walls before they finally end up on the bed and are able to lie down, stretching out.

Their legs are too long, so their feet and knees are sticking up out over the edge. The pillow is the softest thing they've ever laid their head on (next to the one at the Oasis hotel). 

The room is fortunately, not that hot, by virtue of being on the cool side of the building. That fact, and the pre-supplied blanket, saves Xephos from having to search for another one (or having to steal it from Honeydew's bed since Honeydew is a living furnace and doesn't need it anyway) or strip down to avoid overheating.

Their dream is unusual, to say the very least.

The Bee is in his hands. They feel the solid weight of it. It is larger than Xephos had thought, because it stretches from the bottom of their wrist to their middle finger. Xephos' hands aren't exactly petite, their fingers long and slim. Up close, The Bee's color is striking. The pale red is closer to salmon pink but since Xephos isn't an artist, they don't know if it actually is. 

There's even a white racing stripe that's trademark of all Hyperion products. 

Aside from the accessory and material it's made out of, the shield isn't purely composed of Hyperion parts. This is doesn't bother Xephos as much as it should have when normally he would have fretted over its many imperfections (refusing to settle for anything less even if they come off as finicky and difficult to please). 

For once, Xephos is accepting; nobody is perfect, after all. 

Xephos likes to believe that they know their shield (and gun) specs from spending hours poring over manuals and manufacturer guides on the ECHOnet. They'd soaked up every single bit of knowledge, having nothing else worth reading during road trips between destinations. It's actually come in useful more than they'd thought, particularly when Honeydew's agonizing over two guns but doesn't know which one to pick since they're just as good as each other from his point of view. 

But this isn't about Honeydew.

The Bee has a Torgue sourced body, a battery of Maliwan make (he has a hunch that it's Maliwan more so than Pangolin despite the two being identical in appearance) and a capacitor from Vladof that would have downright obscene, but Xephos can work with that. Xephos tenderly runs a thumb over every intricate curve, every indent and edge on the Bee, memorizing and feeling as they go about doing so. 

The surface of the shield is smooth without a single scratch, polished and brand-new. Not a single screw or component is out of place. The core is a bright yellow (just like the insect it's named after) and if Xephos listens and concentrates like so, Xephos can hear the core hum away. It's alive, even though it's not connected to their HUD. It calls to him.

Xephos moves to hang it off their belt-Xephos wakes up feeling out of breath and uncomfortably warm in the cool room. Somebody had covered them with a blanket while they'd been out cold, but that's not the reason why their body (and not just their face) is suddenly so warm.

Xephos buries their face into the pillow, forgetting that their legs are too long to fit onto the bed without curling up and accidentally banging them into the metal frame in their rush to roll over onto their side. Xephos stifles a curse.

Well, that's just _embarrassing_ (and it's not the sudden throbbing in their legs they're referring to but the one slightly higher up than that).

\--

The bottom of Xephos' shovel collides against something hard in the ground. Xephos doesn't register the shovel hitting and uselessly tries to keep digging, only for the shovel to hit up against it again. It registers in their mind this time, so Xephos tosses the shovel aside with a resounding clang and drops to their knees, fingers scraping away at the dirt until the container (a battered, rusty biscuit tin dented on one corner) is unearthed. With trembling dirt-stained fingers, Xephos along the edge, their thumb catching on it.

Xephos grits their teeth and tries to pry it open with all their strength. Unexpectedly, it springs apart in his hands, more dirt and the contents flying everywhere. Xephos falls back onto their ass before getting to their knees again and pushing aside the contents to try to find The Bee amongst the yellowing papers, letters and photographs scattered around them.

Nothing. 

Another failure (only the latest). Xephos gathers everything that'd fallen out, stuffs it back into the tin, seals up the tin and reburies it. The grave-robbing had been for nothing and now they're covered in dirt all over and who knows what else. Xephos lets the wind run through their hair, tussling it as they feel like they've hit their lowest point yet.

\--

With Honeydew driving and the boost, they've managed to make it over the security fence.

FyreUK's compound is all the way out in the Arid Nexus, not an easy location to reach by any means since it meant having to make a roundabout road trip. Honeydew hits the brakes upon the rocky landing, causing them to careen to a stop outside of the building, the cloud of dust thrown up vanishing with the wind. 

Xephos lifts their head, blinking through tears as their heart hammers away in their chest from successfully landing such a high jump off the pipe line and into the compound.

Xephos pries their fingers off the rail to the turret seat and clambers out, looking up. The building is modern, all sharp angles and no slopes. It'd looked a lot larger from a distance but Xephos puts that down to one of those desert illusions that make shapes in the distance wavy. 

Xephos moves towards the door. They enter the building with Honeydew trotting obediently after them. He glances around at their surroundings, wariness etched on his features at whatever Xephos has planned. After consulting the building map, Xephos knows where the building's broadcasting room is. The two make their way to it.

They can hear music coming from under the crack in the door and the sound of two people talking. Xephos and Honeydew both draw guns. They wait until the sounds have been replaced by an advertisement before Honeydew tries to kick the door down. The door refuses to budge. Honeydew glances at Xephos, frowning. 

Xephos raises a puzzled eyebrow at him, shrugging. Honeydew slams their head against the door, staggering back when the door also refuses to budge under the force of the headbutt.

"What the fuck is that door made out of?" Honeydew says in a pained voice.

"I don't know, but I'm going in," Xephos says, a hand reaching over to try the lock. The door had been unlocked the entire time. Xephos refrains from laughing or else it would have ruined the serious mood. Honeydew just mutters under their breath about how 'they don't make doors like they used to'.

Xephos slams the door open and walks in, lifting their gun to train it on the nearest person. The nearest person raises their hands into the air, a set of headphones clutched in one hand, eyes wide with surprise. The only other person in the room freezes in the midst of reaching over to press a button on the console. Pop music continues to blare softly from one of the speakers.

Honeydew ninja rolls in, training his shotgun on the other person.

"Nobody panic!" Honeydew screams at the top of his lungs.

Matt and Phil start screaming bloody murder.

\--

Xephos doesn't kill FyreUK.

Killing innocent civilians who'd just happened to move into the residence of the last person who'd possessed The Bee is crossing the line. 

Even if Xephos has indiscriminately killed bandits for getting in their way, illegally hacking, done a brief grave-robbing stint and set a forest on fire (thus indirectly evicting and killing countless people and animals) in their quest for The Bee, it occurs in the back of their mind that they might have become a little too obsessed. They shove that thought right out of their mind the moment it pops up.

They are not obsessed.

FyreUK does however, surrender one piece of vital information: the shield is somewhere in Sanctuary Hole. How they know, Xephos doesn't care but they file that information away under a list of dwindling threads to investigate. Satisfied (but slightly disappointed over having to chase up another lead) Xephos leaves the building with Honeydew limping after them.

FyreUK opens the gate for them and resumes broadcasting even if their voices sound a little shaky (Matt claims it's due to watching an ECHOnet horror trailer that somebody had just sent in, to which Phil only too readily agrees with.

\--

One of the reasons why Xephos had decided to follow Will Strife and the other Vault Hunters back to Sanctuary Hole is because they'd be able to follow up on FyreUK's information. After very nearly getting drunk again and listening to Rythian accidentally confirm the rumors of the Vaults, Xephos passes out in the bed the moment they put their head down on the pillow.

They're going to turn Sanctuary Hole upside down for that shield. 

They didn't count on being roped into helping set up a Fast Travel Station taking up the entirety of their day. Xephos grits their teeth and helps, not wanting to draw suspicion towards their true ulterior motive for being in Sanctuary Hole. Also, they and Honeydew vote for Ravs.

It is during the arm-wrestling contest that Xephos finally finds The Bee. 

Xephos is being pushed around by the crowd and pushes back in turn, trying to reach Honeydew and return to their decent vantage point. In doing so, Xephos glances around, not expecting to see anything out of the ordinary. Perhaps the reason why they're so lax and calm at that point helps them to spot the shield amongst countless others in the room.

Xephos' eyes follow it across the room. 

Benji gives Xephos a strange look at for where they're glancing. In any other situation, Xephos would have been embarrassed (because that shield is attached to a belt and the belt is right above, you know) but Xephos is beyond caring. Xephos redoubles their efforts to shove through the crowd, finally managing to make it to the spot next to the counter. 

Honeydew is shouting at the top of his lungs while standing on top of the counter, adding to the overall noise level as he supports Ravs. Xephos frantically gestures at him, finally resorting to tugging on Honeydew's hand when it comes back down. Honeydew glances his way and cheers one more time before leaning down to listen The gin slides off his face when he sees how serious Xephos looks.

"I saw it!" Xephos half-whispers, half-shouts at him.

"Saw what?" Honeydew blinks. 

"The Bee!"

"You're kidding!" Honeydew says, looking skeptical. Xephos looks around for The Bee, automatically picking it out again at the edge of the crowd. Xephos nudges Honeydew and jerks their head in the direction of it. 

"I'm not! Look!" Xephos shouts back. Honeydew looks over. His eyes widen and his mouth falls open. 

"You're not kidding," Honeydew says in a hushed voice, knowing what the infernal shield looks like from Xephos showing him the fucking page all too many times in an attempt to explain their excitement about chasing after it.

"I told you!"

"But it has an owner! You can't just go over there and take it off them like you tried to do back at that poor sod's grave!" Honeydew points out, somewhat hoping Xephos isn't going to do what he thinks they're about to do.

"I'm going to duel them for it," Xephos quietly says as if that's the only obvious solution.

"Friend, that is a very bad idea," Honeydew observes. 

Xephos is already purposefully striding off in the direction of the shield. Xephos wringing their hands is the only clue that Honeydew has in that Xephos is currently a bundle of nerves and not at all as confident as they appear. Honeydew climbs off the counter, pushing aside legs and kicking knees to cut a path through the crowd to Xephos.

Oh hell no.

It's Rythian and Teep. The shield is hanging off of Teep's belt, as plain as daylight. 

The two are staring at Honeydew and Xephos, apparently having observed the chat between Honeydew and Xephos. Teep unfolds their arms, their attention shifting to Rythian to Xephos. Honeydew doesn't not like how there's something new to the air, something like a blade or a gun being drawn and it's pointed right at Xephos. Even if it's not pointed right at Honeydew, it might as well have been.

Honeydew is chewing on their bottom lip and wondering if he should try one last time to convince his friend that this isn't going to be pretty. But just like all the other times, Xephos is probably not going to listen. How Xephos manages to rationalize this time and time again, Honeydew doesn't know. Honeydew sort of hopes that Xephos is going to get their ass handed to them so they'll snap out of it.

Xephos jerks a thumb in the direction of the front door. Honeydew silently thanks them for not making this another public spectacle. Rythian looks just as troubled as Honeydew feels (glancing at the crowd to mirror Honeydew's feelings about making this public). If he's just as protective of Teep as Honeydew is in regards to Xephos, perhaps they can avoid all this business and settle it some other way.

Rythian appears to frown (hard to tell with his purple scarf covering his lower face) and takes one step towards Xephos. 

Unfortunately, Teep moves as well, blocking Rythian from approaching Xephos, dashing Honeydew's hopes at settling this peacefully. The air grows heavier. Xephos lets out the tiniest breath of relief at the shift in attention; they hadn't enjoyed being the focus of that attention.

Xephos and Honeydew watch this silent, invisible confrontation play out before them, the two of them unsure if Xephos will get their confrontation if Rythian had chosen to step in.

"Are you sure?" Rythian finally asks when the silence has reached unbearable heights. Teep doesn't appear to have done anything but Rythian steps back. Rythian's gaze drifts to the shield as well before back up to Teep's face. He seems resigned and unhappy at having to step down. The tension in the air drops back down to a normal level.

Xephos has no idea what had just happened between Teep and Rythian, but it seems like they're going to get their duel (even if they're having second thoughts about it now but it's too late). Teep points at the front door. Xephos and Honeydew move towards it. They almost jump when a 'crack' and shouts ring through the air as the door swings shut behind them. 

The last thing that Honeydew and Xephos sees of Rythian is him watching them, a hand on his hip and seeming thoughtful. Teep is silent for a moment, before they turn to coolly regard Xephos with not quite the same intensity as before but coming close to it. They look expectant. 

Xephos recalls what they're supposed to do a moment later.

Based off what Xephos had read of dueling customs, they have to first throw down the challenge by striking the other person. The gesture is without a doubt, intended to be aggressive with no room for misinterpretation. Xephos raises a hand but hesitates, unsure how hard they should hit and where.

Honeydew gives Xephos an incredulous look that says 'and now you're having second thoughts?'. Xephos would have told him to 'shut it' if they hadn't been so caught up in trying to figure out the answers to their questions, not wishing to offend or do more harm than intended.

Teep shakes their head, bringing up one hand to impatiently tap their opposite shoulder.

Xephos curls their hand up into a fist and lightly punches Teep in the shoulder. It apparently satisfies Teep because Teep nods, motions for them to follow and moves towards a metal gate. In one smooth, unbroken motion, Teep vaults over the gate, landing on the other side and waits for them. Honeydew and Xephos reign in their surprise at having to trespass, looking around but nobody else is around to witness this.

"Boost me up," Honeydew automatically says.

Xephos cups both their hands together and lets Honeydew get a leg up from stepping up onto Xephos' hands. Xephos lifts him up and is glad Honeydew doesn't weigh that much. Honeydew barely manages to reach the top of the gate with both of his arms outstretched to grab onto it. The metal clangs softly under his climbing. He swings his body over it and drops down, landing solidly onto both feet. He turns to watch Xephos.

Xephos is much less graceful, needing to pause at the very top to make sure that their coat isn't caught on anything before swinging themself over and pushing off of the top. They stumble forward on the landing, but Honeydew catches the back of Xephos' coat in time, arresting their fall. Teep's already moved to the lift, ever so patient.

Honeydew lets go once Xephos has regained their balance.

"Thanks," Xephos says as they jog over to where Teep is waiting. Honeydew follows.

"You're welcome," Honeydew easily replies. "Now, are you sure you don't want to back out?"

"I can do this," Xephos firmly says.

"All right," Honeydew says, sounding skeptical but doesn't want to rain on Xephos' parade since Xephos appears to know what they're getting into. Honeydew's previous apprehension has begun to return, lending deep feeling of unease that he can't shake off.

\--

The Caustic Caverns soon swallow them up. Honeydew and Xephos has no idea where Teep is taking them because they've never been down this way before, having only ever so much as glimpsed what the place looks like from above. They look around in mild surprise because it seems less damp and darker than they'd originally thought, for a cavern.

Honeydew feels nostalgic all of the sudden; the only thing that's missing is the sight of lava, the smell of burning metal and sounds of hammers banging against anvils. Xephos on the other hand, is steeling themself for the inevitable arrival to the arena, wherever it is. Xephos spends the time watching their opponent.

Teep has their arms crossed over their chest and is waiting for the lift to descend with an air of impatience. Xephos would have been lying if they weren't curious about how they'd come across The Bee, for it to have been under Xephos' nose all along in Sanctuary Hole. The only thing that Xephos finds some comfort in is that this isn't like the sheriff duels. 

One of them only wins when it's clear the other person is incapacitated, so Xephos isn't going to die from dueling over a shield. Xephos places the utmost of their faith in the rules, running over the customs over and over again to prepare themself for the duel.

Judging by the worried look on Honeydew's face, Honeydew doesn't appear to believe in the rule of stopping when the other person is incapacitated. It's odd for Honeydew to be worried when it's normally the other way around. Xephos feels oddly calm, having burned out out any lingering worry on throwing down the challenge.

The lift gently stops at the bottom, arresting Xephos' train of thought.

Teep unfolds their arms, moving to the giant closed metal door. They use a hand to turn the wheel and the giant door slowly parts to reveal what the caverns really look like. Xephos and Honeydew gape at the immense sight before them but only for a second because Teep's passed through the gap in the door the moment it's open. They hurry to follow.

Out in front of the abandoned, rusting dump trucks and a giant Dahl branded building, Teep stops and turns. Honeydew moves to a safe distance after wishing Xephos 'good luck'. Teep and Xephos watch him do so. His head pops out from behind a nearby dilapidated shack, watching them but remaining out of range of any of their bullets.

Teep walks over to Xephos and punches Xephos hard in the arm before retreating back a safe distance. Xephos yelps, not having expected it and it hurts even through their coat sleeve. The punch hadn't taken out Xephos' shield, thankfully. Xephos pulls one of their SMGs out, figuring that with that, the duel is on. 

Xephos is about to fire in Teep's direction, their hands holding the SMG steady as they peer down the sights to do so when Teep just digistructs a pistol and fires one shot that annihilates Xephos' shield.

Without a shield, that bullet would have likely gone straight through their skull. Xephos' head is thrown back by the impact of the bullet, causing a bout of dizziness to rise so suddenly that Xephos staggers back with a gasp. The bullet ricochets somewhere off into the scenery. Their shield is already whining from where it's hanging off their belt, beginning to recharge. 

The rumors are _true_. 

The Bee is more magnificent than Xephos could have ever imagined because no normal headshot at point-blank would have been capable of doing that much damage and from a pistol, _of all things_. Xephos shakes off the dizziness as best as they can. 

The hair on Xephos' neck starts to stand on end, every fiber of Xephos' being screaming at them to run, duck or hide because it means they will seriously die if they take another shot to the head without a decent amount of shield charge in place, rules be damned.

Their head is still ringing. The center of their forehead is tender from where the bullet had glanced off; Xephos reaches up to rub their forehead and discovers a bleeding cut there from the bullet almost managing to make it through their shields, having left the tiniest, open nick as a result.

Xephos ducks behind the dump truck, crouching behind one of the giant wheels for cover, heart pounding away. Xephos wipes their wounded forehead on the sleeve of their coat as best as they can so they can see. The coat's been through worse and they can always wash it out.

Teep is still standing in their original spot, casually reloading the pistol despite having only fired one shot. Xephos can barely make out the brand: Vladof, surprising Xephos in that Teep had chosen to only fire one shot despite the pistol clearly having a high rate of fire that's the signature ability of the brand.

It's playing dirty, but Xephos is going to take the opportunity for a surprise attack. Xephos lets off a volley of shots that pepper the ground. Teep just dives out of of the way in a roll that takes them completely out of Xephos' line of sight. Xephos can hear slow footsteps drawing closer by the second. Xephos moves out of cover to keep Teep's footsteps on the other side of the truck while reloading.

Xephos completes one circle around the truck when they realize that there's no more second set of footsteps to mirror theirs. Almost on instinct, Xephos looks up, spying Teep perched on top of the truck with the pistol aimed right at Xephos' head. 

Honeydew cries out for Xephos to move, not caring if it's against the rules (it technically isn't). Obeying Honeydew and operating on pure instinct, Xephos kicks off from the ground, sliding under the truck as another shot rings out. It just nicks the edge of their coat, pulling some red and gold threads free and cracks the ground. 

Honeydew lets out a sigh of relief but returns to silently fretting.

Xephos almost slides out from under the truck, one of their hands automatically lunging out to grab onto a wheel so they don't completely slide out. Another shot buries itself in the ground where they would have ended up. They know they can't stay there for long, the cramped space ramping up their fear to new levels. 

They hear Teep jump off the truck and land, the quiet scuffling sound alerting Xephos to their location. Xephos cranes their head back, readying their SMG as sweat rolls down their forehead and face, stinging the cut there. Xephos ignores the pain, their finger hovering over the SMG's trigger. They force themself to remain calm and not to pull the trigger early.

Teep peers under the truck. 

Xephos fires, not willing to give them the chance to shoot first; Teep vanishes as the SMG shots embed into the wall behind them. Xephos takes the chance to climb out from under the truck, warily looking right and left for them as they climb to their feet, unsure of where Teep had disappeared to this time.

There's movement in the corner of their eye and Xephos swings their gun around a second too late. 

Teep punches them in the face, a proper punch this time, taking out half of Xephos' shield. Xephos reels back out of reflex due to having expected pain (but receiving none), hexagonal panels glimmering in their view as their HUD alerts them of the impact. Desperate, Xephos tosses a grenade to the ground, watching Teep sharply turn their head to register it.

Xephos sprints away to put distance between them and the grenade, fervently hoping that the grenade is going to take out Teep as well. Xephos ducks behind the second dump truck near Honeydew's hiding spot, listening for the grenade going off and expecting to heal since it'd been a transfusion grenade they'd tossed.

The grenade explodes with a loud bang that echoes off the walls, the impact rocking the trucks and shaking the ground.

Nothing but an uneasy silence descends. Xephos peeks out, feeling slightly cheated out of a free heal that would have healed up the cut on their head (that's mostly stopped bleeding) and creeps closer to the explosion site. They miss Honeydew waving his arms frantically to get Xephos to turn around.

There's only the impact crater left behind with no sign of Teep having been caught in it.

Somebody mockingly taps Xephos on the shoulder, the touch light and quick. 

Xephos starts, whirling around in shock, eyes widening as an unharmed Teep is standing there behind them; they must have followed Xephos to the second truck, using the first as an obstacle to keep the grenade from homing in on them and ducked out of sight to avoid being seen at the last moment. 

Teep punches Xephos in the gut before Xephos can react by shooting. Another punch follows, this time to Xephos' face right when their shields have died, unable to withstand two direct impacts in a row. A third punch hits Xephos right in the nose. Xephos can hear (and feel) something snapping from that third punch.

White and black dots fill Xephos' vision as proper pain flares up and not at all like Xephos had expected (so raw and it burns) since they've never been in a physical fight like this before. Xephos drops the gun in their hands to try to defend themselves and to try to retaliate. That's hard to do when they can't properly breath due to their nose bleeding profusely, making it hard to concentrate.

It feels like they're can't stand up straight for any longer due to the pain also assaulting their face and head.

Teep is not letting up, barely pausing in between punches.

Xephos knows they're enjoying this, each punch perfectly timed and aimed, magnifying the pain reverberating through Xephos' body tenfold. Blood flecks splatter their arms, the ground and Xephos' front with every motion. Teep isn't even out of breath while Xephos tries to hang onto whatever air they can before it's forced to leave their lungs with another punch to the abdomen.

After what is likely the umpteenth punch (Xephos never keeping count in the first place since their world consists of nothing but pain with little room for anything else since the first punch), Xephos doubles over and falls to their knees, hands clutching at their chest and face to try to staunch the freely flowing blood and dampen the pain.

At the back of their mind, Xephos hopes that it's clear that they've lost and that they'll be allowed to pass out at last.

Unexpectedly, Teep's fingers curl into Xephos' hair, sharply yanking their head up and keeping them on their knees. Xephos draws in broken, shallow breaths, flinching when Teep tilts their face up. Xephos lets out a quiet whimper, only one eye functional since the other's long since swollen shut. 

Their hands uselessly scrabble at Teep's arm, blunt nails scratching at the sleeve of Teep's jacket in a last-ditch attempt to get free. Xephos' vision also runs red with blood, warm and sticky, indistinguishable from their bare skin and the pinpricks of pain from having their head held up by Teep holding onto their blood matted hair. 

Blood stains Teep's hand but Teep doesn't appear to give a shit. 

Xephos spies the handle of a combat knife dangling from Teep's belt (one of the few models that digistruct the blade when triggered correctly). One of Xephos' hands slowly reaches for it. Teep takes Xephos' outstretched, bloody hand (almost tenderly so) in their remaining hand, their thumb traveling to Xephos' pinky finger. Their long, gloved fingers curl across the top of Xephos' knuckles.

Xephos barely registers the feel of the glove (rough material smoothed in some places), their hand twitching in an effort to wrest it free in fear of what's going to happen next. Teep's grip is far too strong. Xephos draws in a breath and holds it, finally resigned to their fate. Before they can break Xephos' finger by shoving it back further than it can bend, Teep stops and coolly glances off to the side. 

Xephos' lone eye follows the direction of their gaze as best as they can.

Honeydew is standing there with a rocket launcher out, his frame quivering not because of the rocket launcher's weight and an expression of utmost fury and protectiveness rolled up in one look. Even his beard seems to radiate rage.

"I think it's pretty obvious Xephos has lost," Honeydew grounds out.

Xephos tries to speak (to tell Honeydew to back off, this is their fight) but the pain in their jaw stops them; besides, Xephos is ultimately glad for Honeydew stepping in. The rocket launcher is a bit extreme since if Honeydew fires, he'll hit both Xephos and Teep. Obviously, the rocket launcher is more of a show of force and pure firepower.

Teep appears to know this, looking down as if mildly surprised to find Xephos dangling from their hand. Xephos looks up at Teep's face to see their bloody reflection peering back, eyes wide with fear and pain written all over their face (they look like a right mess). Honeydew jostles the rocket launcher on his shoulder, his message clear.

Teep punches Xephos in the head one last time before letting go.

Xephos falls backwards towards the ground, their remaining eye closing as they mercifully slide into unconsciousness, glad for a break from the pain from having lost the duel in such a horrible, brutal fashion. The back of their mind thinks that they're glad to be alive after all that (but a tiny part of them is disappointed).

\--

Honeydew immediately puts away the rocket launcher, diving to catch Xephos' head before it hits the ground. He manages to make it in time, dropping to his knees. One arm gently cradles Xephos' head, pulling it into his lap. His other hand pulls out a clean handkerchief, beginning to carefully wipe away the blood on Xephos' face and head. The fabric grows steadily more red with every dab.

He throws a look of pure contempt at Teep. Teep is watching him with a satisfied air, unaffected by Honeydew's look.

"You didn't have to beat Xephos within an inch of their life," Honeydew says frostily, adding, "Even if Xephos is obsessed with that shield and probably would have killed you for it." Honeydew doesn't care if he sounds hypocritical or petty.

Teep says nothing, which only serves to enrage Honeydew more. 

"Hey, I'm talking to you, you fucker! Say something!" Honeydew shouts angrily, wanting some sort of response so they can keep shouting at them.

On his lap, Xephos twitches in their unconscious state, their expression flickering to one of fear. Honeydew feels a stab of guilt for shouting, shushing Xephos in a low, hushed voice, also apologizing for raising his voice. Xephos' expression of fear fades to a calm one. Honeydew looks up to continue glaring at Teep.

The satisfied air around Teep grows a touch annoyed. Honeydew's eyes widen as a horrible realization occurs to them.

"Oh my god, you're mute." Honeydew is about to take back everything they said because he's just been shouting at a mute person to talk back without having known-Teep is suddenly crouching by Honeydew, peering directly into Honeydew's face.

Honeydew would jumped but he's still supporting Xephos' head on his lap so he's unfortunately rooted to the spot. Teep's bloody hand grabs hold of Honeydew's front chest holster, roughly pulling him close. Honeydew's HUD pings. 

Honeydew guesses that it's a message from them, cracking open their HUD to hurriedly read it while breaking out into a cold sweat. Xephos' blood (still wet) on Teep's hand stains Honeydew's bare skin and holster. Honeydew tries not to pull away even if he can feel the blood rubbing off onto him for fear of Teep reacting in a violent manner (having seen them wipe the floor with Xephos and taking it further despite it supposedly being a simple duel).

> Don't fucking apologize or you'll end up like your friend.

"Wasn't going to," Honeydew lies in a small voice, snapping his mouth shut in fear of saying the wrong thing. He feels guilty for having assumed otherwise despite all the signs. Somehow, he also feels like he's just been chastised despite wanting to apologize for his assumption.

Appearing not to care if Honeydew is fibbing, Teep roughly lets go of him, standing up and brushing off the front of their jacket with a hand as if nothing had happened. They walk off somewhere. Honeydew isn't intent on carrying on a one-sided conversation with them anymore, focusing on cleaning up Xephos' face and head as best as he can.

Xephos groans, beginning to come around, their lone eye that's not swollen cracking open to glance in Teep's direction. One of Xephos' hand shakily moves towards their digistruct module. Relief floods Honeydew at Xephos being able to regain consciousness. Honeydew stills Xephos' hand with one of his own. His other hand puts away the bloody cloth.

"Friend, don't throw up on me," Honeydew warns before leaning in close to casually whisper, "Using the laser seems a bit like overkill, innit? Even if you've lost fair and square." He only gets another quiet groan of pain in response before Xephos' hand falls to the ground with apparent resignation at finally accepting their loss.

Honeydew deems it safe to shift Xephos to his back, once it's clear that Xephos isn't going to throw up on him. Honeydew doesn't mind if they end up staining his hat (their hat needs a wash anyway) and back. Xephos' feet drag on the ground. They're not that heavy either, so Honeydew carries them on his back through the door and onto the lift back up to Sanctuary Hole. 

Teep closes the door to the caverns before stepping onto the lift and activating the button to take them back up to the surface.

Honeydew knows Xephos is fully awake and is only pretending to be unconscious out of embarrassment at losing (either that or still in pain). Honeydew is glad that a little of the old Xephos is back, preferring this one to the one who'd become overtaken by obsession. So Honeydew figures he might as well earn Xephos a little bit of closure.

"How did you even get that shield anyway?" Honeydew asks quietly.

Teep doesn't appear to have heard him but sure enough, a message pops up on Honeydew's HUD. Xephos goes very still on his back and Honeydew knows that they've gotten it as well (how considerate of Teep to include Xephos and Honeydew is unsure if the gesture is mocking or not). 

> I fought and killed someone. Took The Bee off their dead body to replace my own shield which had became busted in the fight, not realizing what The Bee was until later.

"That's it?" Honeydew says, sounding doubtful.

> That's apparently how it's 'passed' from owner to owner. The new owner has to kill the former owner for it with no exceptions, for obvious reasons.

Teep glances directly at Honeydew as if daring Honeydew to continue being doubtful. Honeydew believes them, sort-of understanding why they'd intended on killing Xephos if Honeydew hadn't stepped in, dueling rules be damned when there's a legendary shield involved. 

The ride back up is silent with no more talk of the shield. 

Teep somehow opens the gate for them. Honeydew is too busy making sure Xephos hasn't slid off their back to see how Teep had done so. Teep does lean over to clap Xephos on the shoulder as if to say 'you tried' before they enter the Crooked Caber. Xephos refrains from recoiling at their touch, managing to pretend to be unconscious, only inhaling sharply and holding their breath until Teep's drawn away.

\--

Zoeya takes one look at Xephos and is already rushing to take Xephos off of Honeydew's back when Honeydew enters the Crooked Caber. Teep appears to have mysteriously vanished from their side. Zoeya glances around for them. She finally frowns when she sees they're not present to help her. Honeydew has half a mind to tattle but decides against it. Zoeya easily carries Xephos (bridal-style) up the stairs, Honeydew racing ahead of her to open the door to one of the guest rooms.

Xephos is placed carefully onto one of the made-up beds. She lifts Xephos' head onto a clean pillow. Honeydew thanks her.

"You stay there, I'm going to go and buy some syringes and stuff from the medical vending machine," She says, not stopping to see if Honeydew's heard before rushing out of the room and back down the stairs.

Honeydew draws up a chair close before sitting on it, taking off his slightly stained hat to place it on the table.

"How are you feeling?" He says. Xephos turns their face towards him, their chest steadily rising and falling, a significant improvement compared to before.

"Like I've just been hit by a technical and run over the head several times," Xephos says, sounding slightly pained.

"You're still alive and that's what matters," Honeydew says, sniffing and beginning to tear up. 

"Don't you dare cry," Xephos murmurs, a hand reaching out to pat Honeydew's hands. Honeydew grasps their hand tightly but not so hard that Xephos winces.

"I'm not crying, I just have something in my eye," Honeydew says, his voice cracking in the middle. "I thought you were done for," He confesses.

"Thanks for stepping in," Xephos says, managing to sound sheepish which only serves to cause Honeydew to sniff louder and more tears to fill Honeydew's eyes.

"I should have stepped in sooner," Honeydew admits, looking on the verge of tears. "But I wanted to you suffer for your obsession." This is admitted with shame and regret both embedded in his tone. 

Because it'd hurt him to watch Xephos succumb to something they ordinarily would never have let take hold in the first place if they'd never arrived on Pandora, the frightening transition over time deeply unnerving Honeydew. 

Honeydew had kept quiet for so long, knowing that his own obsession with the Vaults is the same. Some minuscule petty part of him prides on not succumbing to the same degree of obsession that'd held Xephos prisoner for so long. They'd also put off intervention until it's too late, hoping deep down that Xephos would have managed to break out of it on their own.

"I should have listened," Xephos confesses in turn, guilt rolling around like a heavy stone in their gut.

"I should have tried harder to stop you from entering the duel!" A single tear falls from Honeydew's eyes as his lip trembles. The tear is quickly lost in Honeydew's beard.

"It's not your fault, so don't go blaming yourself," Xephos says, rushing to try to reassure Honeydew before Honeydew starts to fully bawl. "I shouldn't have gone after that shield. Please don't cry." The last part is added somewhat belatedly.

"We shouldn't go after the Vaults either, if..." Honeydew trails off, sniffing and attempting to not cry to obey Xephos.

"No, we can go after the Vaults. It'll be easier since they exist and they're surely worth more than a legendary shield," Xephos points out, managing a crooked smile despite the ache in their jaw and teeth.

"I won't be pushy about them," Honeydew swears. "And we won't do anything that's mostly not questionable to find them."

"Of course we won't," Xephos says, softly adding, "Friend."

\--

They come across a strange rocket launcher called 'fidle dee Tunguska' on one of their jobs. The color scheme is aesthetically pleasing (a solid black with yellow stripes) to Xephos. Xephos breaks down upon realizing the significance of the find, causing Honeydew to fret and assume that Xephos' is suffering from heatstroke (not the first time it's happened).

In between happy sobs, Xephos manages to explain. It's not a legendary, the rocket launcher, _it's more than that_.

After what they'd put Honeydew through, Xephos hands it off to Honeydew. Honeydew graciously accepts it. Xephos knows that Honeydew will make better use of it than they ever will. The resulting projectiles, knife on the end, rocket explosions and the firing arc are strange and will take some getting used to, but Honeydew keeps it in his inventory because it's a gift from Xephos.

Honeydew silently vows to make it up to Xephos any way he can.

**Author's Note:**

> total word counts amounts up to roughly 11, 400 words. ALSO, GUESS WHO MADE A CAMEO AT THE BEGINNING. one of them will show up in the main storyline and the other will be in a different beyond the borderlands fic. this one fic references chapters two, four and five of 'the last vault hunter', particularly chapter five. if you haven't read that already, go and do so (either [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4212195/chapters/10412415) or [here](http://borderlandscast.tumblr.com/tagged/borderlandscast%3A-the-last-vault-hunter) but mind the warnings)! it contains plot. tasty plot.
> 
> xephos also managed to find an pearlescent which are one rank up above legendary. they are hilariously rare and in my total game time of 458 hours in borderlands 2, i have only ever managed to find one pearlescent. you'd probably end up crying like xephos if you ever managed find or glimpse one, OKAY.
> 
> have some background about shields: amplify shields drain a bit of your shield's charge in exchange for 'amplifying' the damage your gun does. don't ask me how that scientifically works. i'm just going to put that down to borderlands being at the forefront of weapons development and technology (don't get me started on the gun that shoots exploding swords which is one reason why you should get borderlands, preferably when it's on sale). 
> 
> the bee will simply 'amplify' damage free of cost provided that you're not hit since it only does so while the shield charge is at maximum. while the bee has a long recharge delay, the pay off is a hilarious amount of damage dealt provided you take down your enemy (or enemies) before they can hit you. paired with a decent enough gun, you can pretty wipe the floor with anybody who dares challenges you, as xephos found out the hard way.
> 
> in the process of researching guns to assign to characters, i have become acquainted with every part of a gun and can pretty much which part comes from which gun manufacturer. the same now also applies to shields. WELP. i'll include the breakdown of the bee in a future extras post.
> 
> teep and nanosounds are usually more than happy to correct the assumption that just because they're mute or tiny, doesn't make them any less proficient at kicking ass. they both love seeing the exact moment on someone's face where they regret making the decision to challenge them. on pandora, there's no shortage of people who think they're easy pickings. SAID PEOPLE DESERVE TO HAVE THEIR ASSES KICKED.
> 
> also, honeydew is apologizing for not being aware of teep's muteness and he shouldn't have yelled at them but teep mistook it for honeydew choosing to excuse what they did to xephos with becomingly newly aware of teep's muteness. teep knows exactly what they did to xephos (and aren't the slightest bit sorry about it). 
> 
> they had good reason to kill xephos though, considering the nature of how the bee's ownership works (which is not canon by the way, i just wanted to write something cool about legendaries because i'm sad legendaries don't have stories behind how they came into being or their histories or past owners like in destiny). it wasn't an ordinary duel considering what the prize was; it wouldn't have stopped xephos from entering the duel even if they'd known it would have been to the death.
> 
> if you take a look at xephos' actions throughout this chapter, they're just about as bad as teep (perhaps xephos even had it coming). honeydew is also just as bad as well (to some extent). i hope this fic hammers home the point that even the most well-intentioned of people can make some really questionable decisions that they try to justify or rationalize once it's carried out. 
> 
> that same decision can interpreted differently by someone else because nobody's morals are the same. this parallels what happens in the borderlands canon (in regards to vault hunters vs handsome jack which you have countless examples of both sides actions).
> 
> if i have fucked up with xephos and teep's pronouns (the two go by 'they/them'), please let me know! comments, feedback, pointing out typos or errors and etc. are always appreciated! thanks for reading to the end 8) . 
> 
> the doodle is over [here](http://borderlandscast.tumblr.com/post/127626103384/sweet-dreams-doodle-drawn-by-siins-for-the-beyond#notes), as drawn by THE BLESSED SIINS as usual.


End file.
